The important details
Complaints
Tell us first: most things are fixed in one call. If that does not settle it, the insurer has a complaints officer, then OLHI, which is free and independent, and then FSRA, which regulates advisors in Ontario. None of it costs you anything.
Last updated October 14, 2026.
Something has gone wrong, or you think it has. Here is who to speak to, in order. Every step is free, none of them requires a lawyer, and using one does not stop you using the next.
Step 1 — Tell us
Most complaints are a misunderstanding about what was said or what was covered, and most are settled in one conversation.
Phone 416-721-0709 or email insurewithamal@gmail.com. If you would rather write, ask for a postal address and we will give you one.
Tell us what happened, when, and what you would like done about it. We will acknowledge you within one business day and give you a written answer within ten business days. If it is going to take longer than that, we will tell you why and when to expect it.
Every complaint is written down, along with what was decided and why.
Step 2 — The insurer's complaints officer
If your complaint is about a policy — a claim decision, a premium, how a policy was administered — the insurer that issued it has its own complaints process, and a designated complaints officer or ombudsperson whose job is exactly this. Every federally regulated Canadian insurer is required to have one.
Ask us for the name and address, or look for "complaints" or "ombudsman" on the insurer's own website. We will help you put the complaint together, and we will say so plainly if we think you are right.
Insurers generally allow themselves up to 90 days to give a final answer. Ask for it in writing, and keep it: the next step needs it.
Step 3 — OLHI, the OmbudService for Life & Health Insurance
OLHI is a free, independent national service that reviews complaints about life and health insurance after the insurer's own process has finished. It is not part of any insurer and it is not part of the government.
OLHI will look at your complaint, talk to the insurer, and give a written, non-binding recommendation. You are free to reject it and go elsewhere.
- olhi.ca
- Toll-free 1-888-295-8112
You will normally need the insurer's final written answer before OLHI can take the case, which is why Step 2 asks you to keep it.
In Quebec, complaints of this kind go to the Autorité des marchés financiers instead.
Step 4 — FSRA, the regulator
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario licenses and supervises life insurance agents in this province, including our advisors. If your complaint is about an advisor's conduct — how you were dealt with, what you were told, whether the advice was suitable, whether a licence was in good standing — FSRA is the place, and you can go there at any point. You do not have to come to us first.
- fsrao.ca
- Toll-free 1-800-668-0128
FSRA's job is the licence and the conduct behind it, not compensating you. If you are after money back, OLHI is usually the better route, and the two can be used together.
About your personal information
A complaint about how your personal information was collected, used or shared goes to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada if we cannot settle it: priv.gc.ca, toll-free 1-800-282-1376. Our privacy policy sets out what we hold and what you can ask us to do with it.
What complaining does not affect
Raising a complaint does not change your coverage, does not affect a claim already being assessed, and does not cost you the right to do anything else — including going to court. Nothing here shortens a legal limitation period, so if a deadline matters to you, take advice about it early.
Questions people ask
Does complaining cost me anything?
No. Our own process, the insurer's, OLHI and FSRA are all free. You never need a lawyer to use any of them, and using one of them does not stop you using the next.
How long does each step take?
We aim to acknowledge within one business day and answer within ten. An insurer's complaints officer usually allows itself up to 90 days. OLHI aims to complete a review within 90 days of accepting a case. FSRA has no fixed timetable, because its work depends on what it finds.
Can I complain about an advisor to BCA itself?
Yes, and it is the fastest route for most problems. But you never have to. FSRA regulates the licence and will take a complaint about an advisor directly, at any point, whether or not you have raised it here first.